The Great Aegean War (1985–1989)

“The New Empire against the Crescent.”

General Context

In the mid-1980s, with NATO collapsed and the Balkan region fragmented, Falangist Greece and the National Communist State of Bulgaria formed a regional alliance sponsored by the League of Fraternal Sovereign Nations (LNFS). Both countries sought to recover historical territories and establish a new nationalist order in the Aegean.

Turkey, allied with Israel, Azerbaijan, Qatar, and Pakistan, was ruled by a pro-Western military republic that resisted the expansion of authoritarian regimes. The conflict began with tensions in Thrace and naval skirmishes in the Aegean, escalating into full-scale war.

Detailed Timeline (1985–1989)

1985 – Prelude

April: Turkey mobilizes troops in Eastern Thrace and militarizes the Bosphorus Straits.
July: Falangist Greece signs the Pan-Hellenic Defense Pact with Bulgaria.
August: Naval skirmishes near Lesbos between Turkish warships and Greek patrol boats.
October: Bulgarian troops cross the border and seize Edirne in a surprise attack.
November: Greece launches Operation Lion of Thrace, advancing with Leopard 1A3 and M48A5 tanks toward Tekirdağ.

1986 – Large-Scale War

January: Turkey responds with airstrikes using F-104s and F-4Es. The Battle of the Sea of Marmara begins.
February: Bulgarian forces, supported by Czech divisions and Romanian artillery, consolidate in Thrace.
March: Greece bombs Turkish positions in Çorlu with Mirage F1s and A-7 Corsair IIs.
May: Turkey launches Operation Anatolian Shield, retaking Tekirdağ but losing 70 tanks to MILAN and RPG-29 ambushes.
August: Siege of Istanbul begins. The city turns into an urban battlefield; the Bosphorus is blockaded.

1987 – International Involvement

January: Israel conducts airstrikes against Greek batteries in Thrace.
February: Azerbaijan and Pakistan send military advisors and Mirage III aircraft to Turkey.
April: Greece uses Czech-modified Scud-B missiles to strike Turkish bases in Anatolia.
July: The Bulgarian 3rd Army, equipped with T-72M1s and Soviet artillery, crosses the Bosphorus with pontoon bridges.
September: Turkey begins guerrilla warfare in the occupied Balkans with paramilitaries and Kurdish fighters.

1988 – Turning Point

January: The Golden Horn Offensive begins: Greece and Bulgaria assault Istanbul from the west and north.
April: The Greek Air Force destroys the Gölcük naval base with A-7 Corsair IIs. Turkey loses its Marmara fleet.
June: Greek troops enter Istanbul. Fierce house-to-house combat with heavy civilian casualties.
August: Turkey requests mediation from Iran and Saudi Arabia, but LNFS allies reject it.
December: Istanbul falls completely. Turkey begins a general retreat into Anatolia.

1989 – End of the War

February: The Treaty of Belgrade is signed between Turkey and the Greek-Bulgarian representatives under neutral Yugoslav mediation.
March: Turkey officially cedes:
- Eastern Thrace (Edirne, Tekirdağ) to Bulgaria.
- Istanbul as an international zone occupied and administered by Greece.
April: Turkey withdraws from the Allied coalition and falls into deep internal crisis.
May: Massive repression begins against Greek and Bulgarian minorities inside Turkey. The UN fails to intervene.

Consequences

Over 300,000 dead between soldiers and civilians.
Greece emerges as the dominant power in the Aegean, regaining territory lost since 1923.
Bulgaria gains influence in Thrace and access to the Bosphorus.
Turkey descends into political chaos, with Kurdish uprisings and failed coups.
Israel and Azerbaijan sever relations with Greece and Bulgaria.
The Kurdish conflict reignites with greater intensity.